[{"id":35,"date":"2026-05-07T21:09:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:09:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-05-07T21:28:46","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:28:46","slug":"society-of-behavioral-medicine-annual-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/2026\/05\/07\/society-of-behavioral-medicine-annual-meeting\/","title":{"rendered":"Moving Beyond BMI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>OPT for Health director and associate director Drs. Jessica LaRose and Autumn Lanoye attended the 47th annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Chicago, IL April 22nd-25th.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dr. Lanoye presented a research spotlight entitled &#8220;Moving Beyond BMI: Waist Circumference and Body Fat as Risk Indicators in Behavioral Obesity Treatment,&#8221; co-authored by Drs. Karly Casanave-Phillips, Chlo\u00e9 Jones, and Jessica LaRose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n\n\n\n<p>Paper summary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>An <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC12306999\/\">article published last year<\/a> found that among younger adults (age 18-40), cardiometabolic disease risk classifications based on body fat percentage and waist circumference were associated with 15-year all-cause and heart disease mortality, while those based on body mass index (BMI) were not. This prompted us to explore data from our own <a href=\"https:\/\/optforhealth.lab.vcu.edu\/completed-projects\/\">previously-completed REACH Trial<\/a> of behavioral weight loss for emerging adults age 18-25, which measured body fat percentage, waist circumference, and BMI. Our goal was to examine patterns of risk based on these three measurements in order to 1) identify areas of overlap\/divergence and 2) characterize change over time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At baseline, we found:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>41.7% of participants were at risk for cardiometabolic disease based on BMI, body fat percentage, <em>and<\/em> waist circumference<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>32.7% were at risk for cardiometabolic disease based on BMI and waist circumference<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>1.8% were at risk for cardiometabolic disease based on BMI and body fat percentage<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>18.3% were at risk for cardiometabolic disease based on BMI alone<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Of those who returned for their follow-up assessment after the 6-month intervention, the majority of participants (63.1%) remained in the same risk category they began in. However, 33.0% had an improved risk profile (ex., at risk based on BMI and waist circumference at baseline but at risk based on BMI only at follow-up) and 3.9% had a worsened risk profile (ex., at risk based on BMI and waist circumference at baseline but at risk based on BMI, waist circumference, <em>and<\/em> body fat percentage at follow-up). Among participants who lost a clinically significant amount of weight (&gt;5% of their baseline weight), there was substantial variability with respect to magnitude of change in waist circumference and body fat percentage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><u>Our Takeaways<\/u><\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In the context of behavioral interventions, BMI-based eligibility criteria may result in overlooking young adults who are at risk of cardiometabolic disease based on waist circumference and\/or body fat percentage but have a BMI &lt; 25kg\/m<sup>2<\/sup>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A focus on weight loss alone does not provide the full picture in terms of risk reduction, but there are no clinically significant change thresholds for waist circumference and\/or body fat percentage. These need to be established\u2014especially for young and racially\/ethnically diverse populations.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight and BMI continue to be used even though they are imperfect because they are easily measurable, while things like waist circumference and body fat percentage require training and\/or specialized equipment to measure. Additional work is needed to improve individuals\u2019 access to these and other metrics that more accurately indicate risk for developing cardiometabolic disease.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>OPT for Health director and associate director Drs. Jessica LaRose and Autumn Lanoye attended the 47th annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in Chicago, IL April 22nd-25th. Dr. Lanoye presented a research spotlight entitled &#8220;Moving Beyond BMI: Waist Circumference and Body Fat as Risk Indicators in Behavioral Obesity Treatment,&#8221; co-authored by Drs. Karly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":36,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faculty-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":9,"date":"2026-04-11T14:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/?p=9"},"modified":"2026-04-11T14:43:40","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T14:43:40","slug":"we-celebration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/2026\/04\/11\/we-celebration\/","title":{"rendered":"WE Celebration"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On March 4th we held the first event of many wrapping up Wellness Engagement Petersburg (or &#8220;WE&#8221;). WE, led by MPIs Drs. Maghboeba Mosavel and Jessica LaRose, was a study grounded in a decade of community-based participatory research in partnership with residents and community partners in Petersburg, VA. As part of this NIDDK-funded trial, investigators tested a grassroots, multilevel lifestyle intervention to reduce adiposity and promote cardiometabolic health for Petersburg residents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The WE Celebration marked the first of several events recognizing both the conclusion of the WE Project and the beginning of our next phase\u2014sharing what we\u2019ve learned with the community. Rooted in our commitment to community engagement, we chose to share the results and impact of the project first with those who made it possible: our Wellness Ambassadors and participants. The event brought together a strong group of attendees for an evening of connection, reflection, and storytelling. More than just sharing findings, the WE Celebration created space for participants to share their experiences, offer feedback, and celebrate the journey together\u2014helping ensure that the voices of the community remain at the center of what comes next.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the WE Project, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.weprojectpetersburg.com\/\">www.WEProjectPetersburg.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"10\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/831A1407-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left to right, WE team members Anu Owolabi, Dr. Maghboeba Mosavel, Dr. Chlo\u00e9 Jones, Dr. Jessica LaRose<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"27\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-27\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1423-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drs. Maghboeba Mosavel and Jessica LaRose present<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"28\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-28\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1417-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees talk at the WE Celebration<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"26\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1424-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees enjoy food and watch presentations<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"30\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-30\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1431-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Jessica LaRose presents<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"29\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-29\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/04\/831A1463-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Chlo\u00e9 Jones presents<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On March 4th we held the first event of many wrapping up Wellness Engagement Petersburg (or &#8220;WE&#8221;). WE, led by MPIs Drs. Maghboeba Mosavel and Jessica LaRose, was a study grounded in a decade of community-based participatory research in partnership with residents and community partners in Petersburg, VA. As part of this NIDDK-funded trial, investigators [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":31,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":12,"date":"2026-03-28T15:54:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:54:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/?p=12"},"modified":"2026-04-28T20:59:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T20:59:41","slug":"closing-the-gap-summit-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/2026\/03\/28\/closing-the-gap-summit-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Closing the Gap Summit recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>On March 21st the OPT for Health team attended and presented at the Closing the Gap Summit, a full-day event focused on practical ways to lower cancer risk and empower community members with tools for prevention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The day included research presentations and community testimonials, as well as a cooking demonstration focused on nutritional eating provided by Underground Kitchen. Also on the docket were two panel discussions focused on prevention and care and lived experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A big thank you to everyone on the planning committee and all those who presented and attended for a successful day!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-2 wp-block-gallery-4 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"19\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-19\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8E7HqXEAA-Hzq-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees pick up materials at check-in.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"40\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-40\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55164957307_o-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Autumn Lanoye (VCU) presents on the psychology of habit formation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"18\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-18\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2608-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chef Steven Glenn (Underground Kitchen) gives a cooking demonstration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"41\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012973_o-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chef Steven Glenn (Underground Kitchen) gives a cooking demonstration.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"22\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-22\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD8aqvMXAAAy_yK-1-2048x1536.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Salvatore Carbone (ODU) and Marguerite Edmonds (HC-CAB member) discuss research and lived experiences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"20\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD86Bq8WcAA_Oq7-1-scaled.jpg 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Sparks (Underground Kitchen) speaks to the audience.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"42\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-42\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/closing-the-gap-3-21-2026_55166012763_o-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Alex Lucas (VCU) and Sudie Greene (HC-CAB member) discuss research and lived experiences.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" data-id=\"17\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-17\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HFpmXsAADTZu-1-2048x1365.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dr. Brynn Sheehan (ODU) leads a mindful movement break.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"765\" data-id=\"15\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-1024x765.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-1024x765.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-300x224.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-768x574.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-1536x1148.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/HD9HG21WUAAu5zk-1-2048x1530.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The audience participates in a mindful movement break.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"23\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-23\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_3530-1-rotated.jpeg 2016w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">VA-ACCERT Center MPIs Drs. Brynn Sheehan (ODU), Bernard Fuemmeler (VCU), and Jessica LaRose (VCU).im<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-43\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/VA-ACCERT-Team-at-Summit-2026-Jessica-LaRose-2048x1366.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The VA-ACCERT Center team. Front row left to right: Karly Casanave-Phillips (VCU), Autumn Lanoye (VCU), Sudie Green (HC-CAB), Jessica LaRose (VCU), Kassandra Prasanna (ODU). Back row left to right: Katie Jones (ODU), Alisa Brewer (VCU), Bernard Fuemmeler (VCU), Otelia Jones (ODU), Janet Plent (Community PI), Brynn Sheehan (ODU), Kristen Moore (ODU), Oxana Palesh (VCU).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On March 21st the OPT for Health team attended and presented at the Closing the Gap Summit, a full-day event focused on practical ways to lower cancer risk and empower community members with tools for prevention. The day included research presentations and community testimonials, as well as a cooking demonstration focused on nutritional eating provided [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":24,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-va-accert-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}},{"id":1,"date":"2026-03-26T09:45:39","date_gmt":"2026-03-26T09:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/?p=1"},"modified":"2026-03-28T15:55:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-28T15:55:51","slug":"hello-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/2026\/03\/26\/hello-world\/","title":{"rendered":"POWER Project Launch"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The POWER Project is part of the NCI-funded <a href=\"https:\/\/www.masseycancercenter.org\/research\/accert\/\">VA-ACCERT Center<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On March 2nd, the OPT for Health team spent the day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA to launch work on the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.accertpowerproject.org\/\">POWER Project<\/a>, a community-engaged research project to address social drivers of cancer disparities among residents of income-based housing in Virginia. Dr. Jessica LaRose is the Academic Lead of the project, working alongside Community Lead Janet Plent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Phase I of the project includes conducting surveys, photovoice, focus groups, and environmental scans in order to help better understand resident experiences as well as the physical environments of income-based housing communities. Phase II will apply the findings of Phase I to develop a multilevel intervention aimed at mitigating cancer risk for income-based housing residents by promoting nutrition quality and physical activity. This program will include digital support and resources, community-based activities, as well as changes to the physical environment of housing communities that will have a lasting effect on access to nutritious foods and opportunities for safe physical activity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Visit the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.accertpowerproject.org\/\">POWER Project website<\/a>&nbsp;for more information and links to community resources.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2481-1024x769.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2481-1024x769.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2481-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2481-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1648\/2026\/03\/IMG_2481.jpeg 1467w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pictured here is the POWER team. Top row from left to right: Otelia Jones, Katie Jones, Dr. Jessica LaRose, Janet Plent, Dr. Brynn Sheehan, Kristen Moore. Bottom row from left to right: Dr. Karly Casanave-Phillips, Vivian Hunter, Kassandra Prasanna.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The POWER Project is part of the NCI-funded VA-ACCERT Center. On March 2nd, the OPT for Health team spent the day at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA to launch work on the POWER Project, a community-engaged research project to address social drivers of cancer disparities among residents of income-based housing in Virginia. Dr. Jessica [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1899,"featured_media":7,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-power-project","category-va-accert-center"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1899"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.vcu.edu\/opt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}]